What Is Compassion?

Compassion is the ability to understand someone else’s emotional experience, paving the way for strong bonds of partnership.

We often try to understand compassion through the lens of love. Take a moment to drop into someone else’s ability to trust. Do your actions inspire trust? Are you able to trust others?

Every new day provides multiple fresh opportunities to establish strong, intimate relationships.

Compassion in AcroYoga

Can you guess why this AcroYoga washing machine is called the Creeper? I bet you can. It's handfuls of fun that slowly grows over time until you just can't take it anymore (pun intended).

[!embed!]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBEfl41a7fw[/!embed!]

Trust and intimacy go hand in hand. AcroYoga is a practice of trust, and as such, requires a certain level of intimacy in order to truly connect with your partner. For many just starting out (and, surprisingly, many who've practiced for years), a compassionate touch with clear intention can be a challenging concept to understand.

What feels good for the flyer might not feel so great for the base, and vice versa.

Connecting With Your Base/Flyer

Direct communication and active listening helps to reinforce positive connections. The Creeper is a challenging, yet surprisingly accessible washing machine that asks for a lot of trust and communication. It also requires a certain degree of permission from the flyer to allow the base the ability to create a platform for solid connection.

Translation: Hands will be placed near places where hands are not normally placed in public. Bases, my advice to you is to avoid the first-time flyer pick-up line "Wanna get Creepy?" unless you're confident they will say yes or you're ok with getting slapped.

How do you practice compassion on a daily basis? Share your thoughts below!

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